Movie Review: Pitch Perfect (2012)

Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) is an aspiring DJ who is sent to Barden College by her father (John Benjamin Hickey), where she seems not to fit in with any group. Muscled by Chloe (Brittany Snow) into joining the Barden Bellas, an all female a cappella singing group, the independent thinking Beca quickly knocks head with the group's leader, Aubrey (Anna Camp).

As Beca works to lead the Bellas out of their traditional songs and perfect harmonies into new mash ups, Aubrey is determined to remain in control so they can beat the college's all male a cappella group, the Treblemakers, at the college music competitions.

The Lil' Diva (11) and Lil Princess (9) have been bugging me for weeks to see Pitch Perfect. The classic, "Everyone else has seen it" argument has been used several times. I finally conceded that I would watch it first, and then allow them to see it if I felt it was appropriate. It's not. How some things manage to come away with a PG-13 rating is beyond me.

I loved the premise of the movie. The acting is superb. And though Rebel Wilson, who plays Fat Amy, annoys me to no end with her vulgarity, she had some funny moments in Pitch Perfect. The thing that bothers me most about this movie is that over half of it is wasted by discussions of sex, venereal disease, the girls trying to figure out which one of the Bellas is a lesbian, and inappropriate gestures. I can see why the movie is so popular. It's outrageously funny. Overall it's about a young woman finding her place in the world. There's the intense rivalry between the two a cappella groups. Pitch Perfect has so much to offer, that it's a shame I can't let my girls watch it because of the sexual content and vulgarity.

Here are a few examples:

• The two remaining Bellas (Aubrey and Chloe) are trying to regroup at the start of a new year at Barden after a crushing loss at last year's competition. Beca wants none of it and claims she can't sing. In a later scene, Beca goes to take a shower. As she walks by, she notices two sets of feet in a shower stall, but minds her own business and finds an empty stall. She begins singing and the shower curtain is pulled back by Chloe in the buff. The girls continue having a conversation, though Beca is busy trying to hide her naked body behind the curtain and telling Chloe to "cover her junk." When Chloe says she won't leave until Beca sings, they sing together, and a naked guy wanders in and tells Beca she has a nice voice. Though you don't see any private parts, it's obvious they are all naked.
• A disgruntled girl talks about being told her boobs look like bologna, and her cream colored shirt clearly reveals abnormally large nipples underneath.
• Stacie (Alexis Knapp), one of the Bellas, admits to the girls she has a lot of sex. In addition, she is often seen fondling her own breasts. It's a running joke as they try to prepare for competition to try to keep Stacie's hands off them.
• Two of the new Bellas are kicked out for having sex with boys from the Treblemakers.
• When Chloe admits she has nodules on her vocal cords, Fat Amy makes a crack that at least she doesn't have herpes.

These are just some of the things I don't wish my pre-teen girls to see. And though some of the dance numbers had girls gyrating, if that was the worst it got, I could have relented. The latter half of the movie focuses more on the competition and reinventing the Bellas, in addition to Beca's trouble with allowing people to get close to her. There are some truly great elements to this movie that were ruined by trying to make it edgy.

Pitch Perfect is available on Blu-ray and DVD. 

Release date: October 5, 2012

Runtime: 112 minutes

Rating: PG-13

I rented this movie from Redbox. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.